A LoveHate Relationship
by Logan T. Hoffman
Summary: A short story for Battle Royale. R


A Love/Hate Relationship

A Short Story

By

Logan T. Hoffman

One left. Then the game would be over. Ryu Sakaguchi inserted a fresh magazine into his Colt .45 pistol. It was the third and final day of the Battle Royale program. Less than half an hour remained. If no one died by then…

Ryu's hand went to the metallic collar attached to his neck. A bomb inside the collar was rigged to explode if time ran out or the restricted areas were breached. But that was the least of his worries. Only one thing truly mattered.

He wanted revenge.

Ever since the first day the program had began, he had wanted to kill his friend, Kaisuke Hiryu. Shortly after the game started, they had both met near a small hardware store on the island. Ryu hoped to gather all the students and make a getaway.

Unfortunately, Kaisuke didn't share the same plans. Instead, he decided to participate in the game. "No hard feelings," he had said to Ryu.

Ryu clenched his fist in anger. How could your best friend betray you without a second thought? The first person you went to when you had a problem. The first person you spoke to after finally getting laid.

He's not my friend, Ryu told himself. He is nothing more than a cadaver waiting for his number to be called.

The ruffling of leaves could be heard in the distance. Ryu's head shot to the right, his trigger-finger getting anxious.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, echoing throughout the whole island. Ryu got out of his crouching position, when he realized that his arm was bleeding.

The sound of feet racing through the forest could be heard, drawing ever closer. Then Kaisuke Hiryu leapt out of the brush, a knife drawn.

Ryu quickly rolled out of the way. Now was his chance. He quickly fired is pistol, but Kaisuke managed to roll out of the way as his opponent emptied his entire clip into thin air.

Ryu cursed under his breath. He tossed the gun aside, instead relying on a more ceremonial weapon. A katana. Ryu twirled the blade between his fingers. The past few days had given him enough experience to wield the sword properly.

He quickly lunged forward at Kaisuke, who leaped out of the way in time. He retaliated by gashing Ryu's hand that held the katana.

Ryu yelped in pain. Great, he thought. Now both of my arms are useless.

He took his mind off the pain of his wounds, although the bullet injury near his shoulder was rather hard to ignore. He took a deep breath, held it, and then slowly exhaled. He continued the battle, slashing the katana at Kaisuke, who proved to be skilled in dodging his attacks.

Kaisuke performed a back flip, landing several feet farther from Ryu than before. He flung the knife at Ryu, who parried the weapon with ease. Kaisuke then pulled a small, round object from off his belt.

Shit. It was a grenade.

With a triumphant grin, Kaisuke pulled the pin from the grenade and tossed it toward Ryu.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Ryu dove for cover just as the grenade detonated. Once he regained his footing, he discovered that Kaisuke was gone. He looked around cautiously. His body was quivering from fatigue. One left. One left. Then the game would be over. He began walking, paying no attention to the burning trees next to him. As he grew farther from the place where their fight had begun, it slowly became quieter. Before he knew, it was dead silence. No wind. No bird calls. Dead. Silence.

"YAAAAAAAAHH!"

Ryu swung around just in time to see Kaisuke running at him, a massive axe in both of his hands. He swung the axe down on Ryu, when it suddenly stopped. Ryu's katana was on the ground; both of his hands were gripping the axe and trying to force Kaisuke back. Finally, he was able to trip him over. The axe landed in Kaisuke's chest. He gasped then spewed out a long stream of blood. But he wouldn't stop. Not yet. He gripped the axe tightly, slowing pulling the edge of the blade out of his chest. He growled in pain, and then coughed up some more blood. "Keep it…coming," he said, still managing to maintain his smug grin.

Ryu picked up his katana. He could do this. Kaisuke was already critically injured. He just needed to finish the job. He swung the katana at Kaisuke. The blade made contact with his axe. The katana blade broke in half.

Kaisuke raised his axe once again, ready to deliver the killing blow. He was now open to attack. Ryu quickly grabbed hold of Kaisuke's shoulder and pushed the broken sword into his opponent's stomach. Kaisuke staggered backward, dropping his axe.

"No hard feelings," Ryu said.

Kaisuke smiled. For a moment Ryu thought he had once again seen the friend he'd known before all this mess. Then Kaisuke sank to his knees and fell face forward to the ground.

Once again there was silence. Ryu turned and walked back to the school where this madness had begun.


End file.
